


All Roads Lead to - Well, You Know

by Theeniebean



Series: Flesh and Bone [2]
Category: Ashes to Ashes (UK TV), Life on Mars & Related Fandoms, Life on Mars (UK)
Genre: A2A fix-it, Gen, I'm still mad that Sam wasn't properly utilized in A2A
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 00:07:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18021095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theeniebean/pseuds/Theeniebean
Summary: Two men walk home from the pub a few years too soon.





	All Roads Lead to - Well, You Know

London stank. Manchester did too, mind, but it was a different kind of stench, at least - a familiar one, and too far away now. Gene took a swig from his flask, toe of his boot catching on the damp cobblestones. He didn't stumble - he never stumbled and you'll do to remember that, Gladys, thank you very much - but swerved with the gracefulness of a life-long alcoholic. The streets were empty enough, he noted, turning up his collar as he worked on figuring out which way his flat was. He knew where it was, of course, but sometimes, these things took a bit of extra consideration. Due dilligence.

Upturning his nose at the corner, peering around at the intersection, the man at his elbow inclined his head to the right. Tyler knew, of course. Always took the opportunity to act like he couldn't take care of himself after a night down the pub. Gene scoffed, swinging around the corner, catching his reflection in the nearby shop window. He ran a hand through his wind-swept hair, hearing Sam snort, making some snide remark. As though he'd know with that daft haircut.

After a slash several side streets down, he paused, catching where Tyler was taking him. It wasn't right, this direction. But that wasn't what had caught him out, not really - it was the building that illuminated the street in front of them. The Arms was supposed to be back home, not here in this southern cesspit. 

He glanced to the side with a question on his lips, the words dying as he took in the empty space. Back ahead, a boarded up public house collected shadows. 

Shaking his head, muttering to himself, Gene reached for his flask. As he turned to backtrack toward the main street, he considered that he'd actually caught the lit up windows out of the corner of his eye - seen the cut of a familiar man silhouetted by the door, hands jammed into the pockets of his coat. Heard those words spoken on the wind, close enough but impossibly far away. 

He also considered it didn't warrant thinking about. Sam was gone, and the Arms was miles away. And if he could see either, he chalked it up to late nights and the cold bed waiting for him in the other direction. He didn't look back. He couldn't look back, not yet, not yet. It wasn't time, he knew - but for what, he couldn't quite put his finger on. 

He'd probably remember in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> So I keep thinking about A2A - I even did a different story for this, but I didn't quite like it and took it down. This came to me last night when I'd been doing my own bit of drinking.
> 
> Not beta'd, so forgiven any typos that I've yet to catch. (I'll be proofing when I've got the time.)


End file.
